Boiitless rail-coupling



G. PRUBST.

BoLTLEss RAIL couPLlNG.

APPLICATION FILED MAY Il. |916.

Patented Aug. 29, 1916.

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GEORGE PBOBST, F SABJDIS,A OHIO.

` BOLTLESS RAIL-COUPLING.

To all whom it ma concern.'- d

Be it known at I, GEORGE PRoBsT, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Scrdis, in the county of Monroe and State l of Ohio,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Boltless Rail-Couplings; and I do hereby declare the followlng to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which 1t appertains to make and use the same.

kMy invention relates to new and useful improvements in boltless rail couplings and more particularly to that class adapted to be used in securing railroad track ralls t0- gether, and m object is to provide means for securing e meeting ends rof the rails together. y

A further object is to provide means 'for holding the ends of the rails together without the employment of bolts. d

Other objects and advantages `will be here-y inafter set forth and more particularly pointed lout in the accompanying specifica- In the accompanying kdrawings which are made a part of this application, Figure 1 1s a perspective view of the meetlng ends of two rails showing my improved .form of 80 coupling attached thereto. Fig.2 1s a perspective view of the coupling removed from the rails, and Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view through the coupling and rail showing the manner of attaching the same 85 to a tie. y Referring to the drawings in which simllar reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, 1 and 2 indicate the meeting ends of the rails such as are used in railroad construction, the web portions 3 of said rails having transversely disposed slots 4 therethrough, through which extend fingers 5 of a coupling member 6, said coupling member being of sufficient length to extend a distance to each side ofthe meeting ends of the two rails. n

The coupling member 6 comprises a fishplate section 7 which lits one face of the web of the rails, a horizontal section 8 which rests over one flange of the base 9 of the rail, a base sectionlO which extends below thebase of the rail and a flange 11 which rejects upwardly along one edge ofthe ase of the rail, said coupling member being substantially L-shape in cross section.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 29, 1916.

Application mea nay 11, 191e. serm no. 96,835.

The fingers 5 extendin laterally from the upper edge of the iis -plate section 7 are curved and extended upwardly so that when the free ends of the fingers are introduced into the slots 4 and the base sectlon 10 swung to position below the base of the rail, 'said fingers will interlock with the face of the web of the rail on the side of the web opposite the fish-plate section and as the ngers are so arranged as to make a close connection with the web of the rails and 1n view of the manner of engaging the basel of the rail with the bottom portion of the coupling member, said rails and coupllng member will be securely locked together Without the employment of bolts or other interlocking means. To cause the fingers to more readily interlock with the slots 4, the upper walls of the slots may be roundily move into or out of the slots when the coupling member is swung into or out of en agement with the base ofthe rail.

n addition to providing the base section 1,0 and flange 1l for interlocking with the base of the rail, said parts may be further locked into engagement with the base of the rall by. forming tongues 12 on the upwardly extendmg edge of the fiange 11, which tongues may be bent over the upper face of the base 9 of the rail, after the coupling member has been properly positioned on the rails.

As shown in Fig. l of the drawings, notches 13 may be formed in the flange 11 for the reception of spikes 14 by means of rails, the ties immediately below the ends of the rails aremoved laterally or displaced, when the ends of the fingers 5 are introduced into the slots 4 and the base section of the coupling member swung downwardly until it is positioned below the base of the rail, when the ties are replaced belovvfthel coupling member and the spikes driven into thetle until the heads of the spikes engage f the couplin the horizontal portionof thecoupling member and the base of the rail oposite to the*` horizontal section and, if esired, the

tongues 12 may be then bent over the face'` of ther-ail base, thus more securely locking f the ycoupling member-'to the rail.

When a temporar coupling is desired for `the meeting ends o the rails, the base sec-il tion l0 andlange '112 may bevdispensed with, the spikes 16 being depended upon for holding the coupling member in engagement wirlithe base of the rails.

tremely strongr and durable and it may be forged or otherwise constructed from one piece of metal. It will likewise be seen that the'conpling can be" very quickly attached to or dlsenga ed from the rails as it 'doesy not require t e employment of boltsl `for nationf with a pair of rails having'y slots therethrou h, of a coupling member vcomprising a sh-plete section, a horizontal section integral therewith, a base sectionin- Genial of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the -Commissioner offratents,

v f Washington, D. C. f

form of coupling may be very cheaply constructedy and yet rendered extegral with the horizontal section, a flange integral with the base section, tongueson",y i `said jfiange i adapted to be extended over the "base `of the rail, and curved iingersghat the outeredge'ofgthe tish-platesectionadapted n n to extend'through said slots of the railsand 1 interlock with the rails. i f

2. In av coupling lmember for rails, theI y combination withthe Ineetin endsof aypairpo y, of rails, the webs of `'said rai s having trans` versely disposed slots, the upper walls yof -which are rounded, of a couplingfmember comprising a fish-plate section,` curved fingers adapted to extend through sad'slots and interlock with the webslof the rails, Saidy f fingers yhaving concavities to coperate with i the rounded walls of the slots, a horizontal section yintegral with the tish-plate section, i i -a base section integral with'the horizontal section, anda vertically extending flange at the free/edge of the base section,` said hori-KA l d zontal section, base sectionand flange forming a seat for the base of the rail.

n'testimony whereof I-have signed my nameto this speciication in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

f GEORGE PROBST. Witnesses: f

JOHN BURKEY, A. B. SoHooNovEn, 

